Keeping it Rio

There are some weird and wonderful sights to be found off-the-beaten-track in Rio

For first-time visitors to Rio de Janeiro, it can be difficult to get off the tourist track and find the ‘real’ Rio. Language barriers, safety concerns and a whole host of other factors can hamper any attempts at discovering the city’s hidden treasures, but those who do persevere will discover that the beaches, the Christ statue and Sugar Loaf are far from being the city’s only charms.

Firstly, if you’d prefer to spend your time surrounded by locals than by other tourists, make your base somewhere other than the beaches. Copacabana in particular is awash with ugly high rise hotels, all of which are packed to the rafters with tourists looking for sun, sea and a cheeky bit of samba.

With a few exceptions such as the intimate live music venue Bip Bip (map), Copacabana’s nightlife scene is more about seedy strip bars and overpriced pizza joints than Brazilian beats, while a stroll along the sands is less romantic than it sands thanks to the countless vendors trying to hawk their tourist wares.

Ipanema is slightly less touristy, but you can expect to pay through the nose for the privilege of staying in this upscale neighborhood, and many of the nightlife and restaurant options essentially attempt to recreate European and North American clubs and bars – with prices that would be considered steep even by London standards.

If you want to see the city from a more ‘local’ perspective, while making substantial savings on your accommodation, look to more residential areas such as Botafogo, Catete and Gloria.

Located between the beaches and downtown, these areas boast some good value hotels and hostels, and their location on the Metro line puts them within easy reach of any destination you might care to visit. For views of Guanabara Bay and Sugar Loaf at a fraction of the price you’d pay in the city’s Zona Sul (south zone), you might want to try the elegant, 1950s-built Hotel Novo Mundo in Flamengo (map).

All these destinations are within easy reach of excellent museums, cultural centers and colonial buildings, and there are some excellent, off-beat drinking and dining options too – such as the kitsch and kooky Miam Miam restaurant in Botafogo

Gloria and Catete are both within walking distance of downtown Rio, where the city’s most impressive colonial architecture (and an excellent antiques fair) can be found at Rua do Lavradio in Lapa (map). Lapa is also home to the majority of Rio’s authentic samba clubs and, while its been given a major makeover in recent years, it still maintains a certain rundown charm. Do exercise caution, however, and don’t bring valuables at night.

Visitors to Rio should by no means be ashamed to take in the tourist hotspots – no trip here would be complete without a visit to the beaches and the Christ statue – but it’s worth getting off the tourist trail every now and then and exploring the city’s less famous locations. For one thing, you’ll come away with a much better understanding of the city than visitors who never leave the beach zones.